The mother of a 16-year-old Hyderabadi girl who was married off to a 65-year-old sheikh from Oman has lodged a police complaint and requested help to bring her back from Oman.
Saiyeeda Shaikh, a resident of Nawab Kunta area, lodged the police complaint after her daughter called her from Oman on Wednesday and confided that she wants to return home as she was not liking it there. Saiyeeda stated that her husband Sikander had taken their daughter to his sister Ghousia’s house to stay for a few days.
“At her house, my husband and his sister hatched the plan to marry off my daughter to the sheikh from Oman. The sheikh paid Rs 5 lakhs to my husband.
They kept me in the dark and secretly got her married at a function hall. They stayed for four days in a hotel and then he dropped her off at Ghousia’s house until her passport and visa was done then she too flew to Oman,’’ she stated in her complaint.
She said she spoke with the sheikh on phone and he told her he had “bought’’ her daughter from Sikander by paying Rs 5 lakhs. “My husband convinced my daughter to marry the sheikh by showing videos of luxurious life style in his villa in Oman. I did not want my daughter to get married so early. Now she does not want to stay there,’’ she said.
However, cops are not convinced with Saiyeeda’s version of the story.
“She and her husband live separately but it is not possible that she did not know about her daughter’s marriage. Her daughter was away at her aunt’s house for nearly three months before getting married. We have called her husband and sister-in-law for inquiry. We are searching for the qazi who performed the marriage illegally,’’ Assistant Commissioner Mohammed Tajuddin said.
After initial inquiry cops found out that there was a dispute between Sikander and his estranged wife over sharing of money due to which she decided to lodge a police complaint. “Also have come to know that the Sheikh’s family is harassing her, trying all steps to ensure she is back in India. We will also take custody of the people who are directly and indirectly involved in this case,” V. Satyanarayana, DCP was quoted.
